


Pulling at the Seams

by quite_probably_lying



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post Episode 44
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 21:15:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8505694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quite_probably_lying/pseuds/quite_probably_lying
Summary: No one has seen Percy since they arrived back at Greyskull keep.Pike is the mum friend and Percy is a slight disaster.





	

No one has seen Percy since they arrived back at Greyskull keep. He’d shut the door to his workshop and only came out when everyone else was asleep. By the door was a half-made bed that he didn’t use anywhere near as much as he should. Stacked next to it sits used plates and cups, the pile uneven as most of the plates still hold the remains of meals he never quite finished, choosing instead to continue his tinkering.

It’s normally Pike that brings him meals, picking up the stack of used plates if the silence indicates it’s one of the rare occasions when he’s asleep. When he’s awake, she’ll get a muffled ‘thanks’ but never anything more, no sign that he wants to see any of them. If Keyleth goes with her, he’ll sometimes wish her well, the brotherly tone almost coming back into his voice. Every night she and Keyleth walk past the door and call goodnight, but to that he never responds. Neither of them mind that it doubles the length of the journeys to their respective bedrooms, they just hope he uses it as a reminder to actually get some sleep.

Vax is the only one who avoids the workshop door. He avoids the whole lower floor entirely, still distrusting Percy. 

The rest of Vox Machina worry. They know he must come out at some point but none of them have seen him. Every now and again the kitchen looks slightly different to how it was left. Percy has always been a more reserved person, so they respected what seems to be a request for privacy and leave him alone.

Within his workshop, Percy is crying out for touch. Desperate for someone to hold him and tell him it will all be okay. But he knows that won’t happen. They don’t want him anymore. They make an effort to avoid him, leaving food outside rather than bringing it in like they used to. Whoever is collecting the plates (he suspects that is also Pike) makes a point to only do it when he is asleep so they don’t have to talk to him.

The stack of arrows next to him continues to grow. At first it had been sorted but now has become a bundle of standard and entanglement arrows (the explosive ones he takes more care with). Next to it sits a rough design for an acid arrow, but without any way of filling and testing it, the arrow remains unfinished. Currently on the only tidy part of his worktop is an intricate silver bracelet holding a crystal that is supposed to enhance healing powers. He hopes it is to Pike’s taste.

They don’t accept him. But if he works hard enough, they might still accept his help and allow him to stay.

It’s that thought that drives him to keep working longer than he should. When his vision is starting to blur but he pushes on. It’s worth it. His hands are littered with small cuts and he can’t remember when they last stopped shaking. It’s worth it. His workshop was once tidy but is now almost as much of a mess as he is. It’s worth it, as he struggles to keep going, trying to please what little family he has left while he thinks they don’t want him anymore. He lost his first family and will now give anything to stay with the one that chose to save him from that cell two years ago.

When Pike next brings him a meal she finds the bundle of arrows stacked neatly outside the door with the bracelet next to it. Attached was a note.

_‘Pike,  
I hope it fits. If not, I can fix it.’_

The messy writing isn’t Percy’s familiar hurried scrawl, but looks closer to his formal handwriting. It was as if he had been trying to write neatly and his hand had refused.

Putting down the plate, she picks it up and slides it on. A good fit, as she would always expect from their expert tinkerer. Still, the gifts worry her. Percy always enjoyed handing out gifts in person, enjoying people’s reactions to it. Why would he just leave them like this?

Picking up the plate again, she pushes the door open without bothering to knock first. Inside she finds Percy hunched over his worktop in a way that couldn’t be comfortable. He still seemed to be unaware of her presence, muttering softly to himself about his current project. 

“Percy.” There was an unnatural delay before he responded to her voice, head snapping up and turning to look at her. She didn’t miss the way he winced when straightening his back.  
“Percy maybe you should take a break.”  
“It’s fine, I’m about to- I’m nearly- what are you doing in here, Pike?” He voice held genuine confusion, but at her name the tone shifted to one of slight desperation. It was something she recognized from him, his cry for help when he was too scared and too proud to actually ask.

She paused, taking a moment to actually look at the man in front of her. Eyes sunken from lack of sleep, and his skin pale enough to match his hair. At least, his hair in its normal stark white state. It lay unkempt and sticking out more than normal, all tinted grey with dirt but with more prominent dark streaks from running his hands through it. He sways slightly on his stool, and as she steps forward to steady his shaking hands, he leans away.

“We’re worried about you. I brought you dinner, but please come up to the dining hall with me.”

With that, he collapses into her arms. Shoulders shaking as he quietly cried against her. Arms fell to his side as lacked the energy to hug her back so he simply let her hold him.

As she stood there with him in her tight embrace, she let her healing magic soak through into him, easing the ache of his muscles and fixing the cuts on his hands. She felt as it took effect, letting him slump against her, more relaxed than he had felt in weeks. His weight - or rather lack of weight - against her was concerning and she made a mental note to keep a closer eye on what he was eating.

Eventually he calmed enough that she could step back and as she did so, she ran one hand down his arm and held his hand again. With the other, she reached up and wiped away the last of his tears.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Gently coaxing him into following, she lead him down the hall to the small washroom that had been put in for him. The water was cold, but would do (not for the first time Pike wishs her magic could create some form of heat. Not full fire, but warmth would be nice). Still, the water was enough to wash some of the grime from his face.

Underneath all the dirt she finds a slight smile. It wasn’t much, but was a start.

“Come on, you tall thing, let’s go get some dinner.” She felt him tense, gripping tighter onto her hand as the small amount of relaxation left him. His nails were leaving small crescents in her skin but she didn’t want to say anything.“It’s okay, most of the others have left by now. Let’s just hope Grog left some food.” Her smile did little to calm him.

The way he moved reminded her of when he had first joined their strange family. Back when he was barely older than a boy, drifting lost and alone in the world. Pike wasn't sure how to react when she first heard Vox Machina had broken someone out of jail, but once meeting Percy, she realised he belonged with them. Pike was the first to learn what he had been through, though for a long time he had refused to tell any of them. However, once she saw the scars, he cracked. It had been a while seen she had seen him like this and she hopes she will never see him look so broken again.


End file.
